Child abuse is everybody's 'problem'
By Sharon OtagakiSOCIAL workers alone cannot protect our children. As First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton so aptly phrased it in her book, "It Takes A Village," we must explore how we all contribute to the problem and then how we all can contribute to the solution. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Hawaii Chapter represents over 1,000 social workers in our state, many employed by the Department of Human Services along with a continuum of services provided through Child Protective Services (CPS).
Recently, our community has been deeply shaken by a rash of child abuse incidents, resulting in the severe physical trauma and even deaths of some of our youngsters. Several of these children and their families were under the auspices of CPS care, while others were not.
In these troubling times, it seems appropriate that NASW share its position as a professional organization on the issue of child abuse and neglect as well as its standards for social work practice in child protection.
We recognize that families are the first caregivers for children and have the primary responsibility for their physical and emotional well-being.
As professionals, social workers believe that children have a right to protection from all forms of maltreatment. They have a right to be treated with respect as individuals and to receive culturally sensitive services from trained professionals.
A CPS social worker must possess specialized knowledge to be able to weigh the damage to a child from separation from his/her family against the risks of the child remaining in the home. Many factors are involved in such a decision.
NASW has developed practice expectations of social workers throughout the various phases of direct CPS intervention. These expectations, when actively supported by CPS administrators and supervisors, enable social workers to carry out their responsibilities to families and parents, children, the agency and the community.
Families are bombarded daily with stresses. Rising poverty, fewer living-wage jobs, increasing unemployment and underemployment, inaccessible health care, reductions in mental health and drug rehabilitation services, inadequate housing, and increased crime and violence all take their toll. Public resources have been severely curtailed and our safety net is slowly being dismantled.
In 1998, the social work profession will be celebrating its 100th year as a profession. We need to continue our historic commitment to child protection through comprehensive efforts.
As such, NASW supports the following principles:
Public and private agencies and systems that serve children and families should work collaboratively to maximize their resources and effectiveness in preventing child abuse and neglect, and effectively treating victims and their families.
Children are the most precious resource we can ever have. They are our future.
Are we up to the challenge?
Sharon Otagaki, LSW, is president of the National Association of Social Workers Hawaii Chapter.
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